Sex tour companies organize trips
for their customers to another country
for the primary purpose of engaging
in prostitution. Sex tours originate
mainly from Australia, Germany, the
Netherlands, Sweden and the United
States, among others, and go to developing
countries including the Philippines,
Thailand, Mexico and the Dominican
Republic.

Sex tour companies may be in violation
of laws both in their place of business
(where profiting from prostitution
may be illegal) and in the places
of destination (where prostitution
and solicitation of prostitution may
be illegal). In addition, the activities
of these companies result in commercial
sexual exploitation of women, implicitly
condone violence against women and
contribute to trafficking in women
and girls. The Trafficking in Persons
National Security Presidential Directive
issued on February 25, 2003, by U.S.
President George W. Bush stated, "Prostitution
and related activities which are inherently
harmful and dehumanizing, contribute
to the phenomenon of trafficking in
persons, as does sex tourism, which
is an estimated $1 billion per year
business worldwide."

Promotional materials of sex tour
companies like their websites, brochures,
videos and the "entertainment"
events they organize, ably demonstrate
how sex tour companies contribute
to the exploitation and objectification
of women and women's bodies by promoting
prostitution and pornography. Bendricks
International Men's Vacation Club,
for instance, a company based in Miami,
Florida, offers its customers tours
to Costa Rica, Caribbean and South
America and advertises, "Whatever
your personal preference, latin, blonde,
black, mulatto, petite, etc., [the
girls] will be friendly, attentive
and eager to please you."

Equality Now is working to end sex
tourism and the commercial sexual
exploitation of women and girls. After
a seven year campaign by Equality
Now, the New York State Attorney General
obtained a temporary restraining order
against Poughkeepsie-based Big Apple
Oriental Tours on July 29, 2003, that
severely restricted its future business
and effectively led to the disabling
of its website. A civil lawsuit against
Big Apple Oriental Tours is underway.
To learn more about Equality Now's
campaign against Big Apple Oriental
Tours please go to: http://www.equalitynow.org/english/direct/hub_dir_baot_en.html

Equality Now is also working on
a campaign to shutdown Video Travel,
a sex tour company based in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Video Travel sends its customers
on its "Ultimate Asian Sex Tour"
to Thailand, where prostitution is
illegal. Equality Now believes the
owner of the company, Mr. Melvin Hamaguchi,
through Video Travel is violating
Hawaii's laws on promoting prostitution.
Despite this, Video Travel has a license
to operate by the Hawaii Department
of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
Equality Now is urging the Hawaii
Attorney General to take action against
Mr. Hamaguchi, along similar lines
as New York's Attorney General, and
asking for the revocation of Mr. Hamaguchi's
travel agent's license. For more information
on this campaign please go to: http://www.equalitynow.org/english/direct/hub_dir_videotravel_en.html

In the effort to end sex tourism originating
from the United States, Equality Now
is advocating the use of federal law
to criminally prosecute owners of
sex tour companies. Equality Now believes
that sex tour operators violate the
Mann Act because they knowingly entice
and transport their customers for
the purpose of engaging in sexual
activities, for which a person can
be charged with a criminal offence,
that is, prostitution.

To learn more about Equality Now's
Women's Actions on related issues,
such as trafficking in women, or to
become a member please visit www.equalitynow.org